[Editorial] Decision on US Beef and a Sovereign Government
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has determined that the cow in the U.S. state of Alabama found to have mad cow disease is more than eight years old, and has begun taking steps to resume imports of American beef. Mad cow disease is discovered in older cattle, but since the beef Korea imports is under thirty months old, the ministry says it is safe. You just have to ask whether it is okay to conclude something like this in such a hasty manner when even the slightest danger is impermissible. Does it appear like the Korean government had planned to accommodate American demands that the issue be resolved before the start of negotiations on signing a free trade agreement (FTA)?
The ministry determined the age of the cow by analyzing its teeth. However, a lot of experts note that teeth analysis is only used for general reference, and is not conclusive. Even if it is more than eight years old, that does not adequately guarantee the safety of American beef. The Korean Federation of Medical Groups for Health Rights says that mad cow disease has been found in cattle under 30 months old in countries like Japan and the United Kingdom, where measures against the disease are stronger than the U.S. Furthermore, the ministry did not engage in a study to see how it was that it made an appearance in Alabama, so you really sense the truth behind the organization’s claim that the government is abandoning the lives and safety of the Korean public for the sake of the FTA.
Any sovereign government would postpone resuming imports until questions about the dangers are clearly resolved, because even the slightest possibly can lead to disaster that threatens the lives of the country. It may be only a small number of people who are warning of the dangers of American beef, but all of them are experts so what they say should not be looked at lightly. The government says that in the course of the FTA negotiations there will be no concessions on things that should stay protected, but the people will have confidence in it only if it demonstrates that right now.
The Hankyoreh, 27 April 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]